Tips, resources shared at National LTAP Conference
Participants shared tips and techniques at the annual National LTAP Association conference.
Every summer staff from all the LTAP centers—one in each state plus Puerto Rico—along with staff from TTAPs (Tribal Technical Assistance Programs) and other agencies come together for the National LTAP Association (NLTAPA) conference. Participants share the latest tips, training techniques, and best practices in order to improve service to you—our customers.
Mindy Carlson, our training coordinator, and Kathy Schaefer, instructor for the Circuit Training and Assistance Program (CTAP), represented Minnesota LTAP at this year’s conference in Chicago. They gave a presentation titled "Identifying and Understanding the LTAP and TTAP Market" in one of the concurrent sessions. Schaefer also attended a winter maintenance train-the-trainer workshop by the Salt Institute. She is the national liaison between NLTAPA and the Salt Institute, which is one of NLTAPA’s national partners. In addition, Sue Miller, county engineer of Freeborn County, Minnesota, gave a presentation on low-cost safety improvements on local roads.
They and other attendees from the Gopher state brought back much useful information. Here are some highlights:
- A presentation about lobbying highlighted the fact that federal funds cannot be used for lobbying. This means recipients of federal funds must not advocate for more federal funds. They are, however, allowed to make technical presentations—in other words, let the data tell the story.
- Ron Eck from West Virginia LTAP recommended a video—"Transportation Employee as a Witness"—that he finds very useful for staff. Topics in the 23-minute video include preparing for court, giving a deposition, proper appearance and behavior, and giving accurate information during examination. The video is available through the Minnesota LTAP Web site at www.mnltap.umn.edu/Publications, or by contacting Arlene Mathison, 612-623-3646, amathison@cts.umn.edu. Minnesota LTAP periodically offers a workshop on "Construction Contract Claims Avoidance and Mitigation"; for more about it, see www.mnltap.umn.edu/Events.
- Marlys Osterhues from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) discussed the Green Highways Partnership (GHP). This public/private initiative was launched in 2006 to combine safe and efficient transportation systems with environmental stewardship and sustainability. The GHP has formed three teams to focus on environmental stewardship, storm water management, and recycling. The teams include members from the FHWA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, AASHTO, and industry associations. The three teams will collect data and best practices and then develop fact sheets, case studies, and a toolkit to highlight effective recycling use in transportation projects. For more information, see www.greenhighways.org.
- The LTAP/TTAP Clearinghouse rolled out the new LTAP/TTAP Web site (www.ltapt2.org) in June with updated graphics and navigation. The Clearinghouse acts as a central resource of information for LTAP/TTAP centers and other industry stakeholders. It is operated under contract to the FHWA by the American Road & Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA). The FHWA and the Clearinghouse are adding new features to the site such as searchable databases for training materials.
- Minnesota’s Project Memo Writer, developed by the Minnesota Local Road Research Board and Mn/DOT, will be submitted to the FHWA as a market-ready technology for improving project management and streamlining. Read more about Project Memo Writer in the summer 2006 Exchange at: www.mnltap.umn.edu/Publications/Exchange.
- A new FHWA regulation requires long-range plans to consider environmental mitigation. For information about environmental requirements, see www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov.
- The Roadway Safety Foundation is a nonprofit organization chartered by the American Highway Users Alliance. Its mission is to reduce the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes by improving the safety of America’s roads. Members include the FHWA, state DOTs, the National Association of County Engineers (NACE), and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Both NACE and AASHTO are NLTAPA partners. Learn more at www.roadwaysafety.org.
Conference attendees learned about the Roadway Safety Foundation, whose mission is to reduce the frequency of scenes like this.